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Bloodflower

Flower type: Annual (Stores water in its stem)

This massive flower grows up to 15.6 feet (4.7 meters) tall. Its gray stems grow from the base of the plant in bunches of 8 and are wispy and straight, and split into several branching stems halfway up, and the tiny, yellow-green leaves are long, narrow with ripped edges. The leaves alternate on the stem from the base up to about halfway.

1 to 6 large flowers grow on alternate sides up the length of the stem. The flowers are 41 cm (16.1 inches) wide, with solid blood red petals decorated with aquamarine dots and a intense purple central disk. The flower head is an uncoordinated mess of 39 curved petals. They are sturdy.

It has a strong scent that smells like candle wax, and it has a fair amount of pollen. It is pollinated by insects and is particularly attractive to butterflies.

Several parts of the flower have medicinal properties.
It is suitable for creating tough, hard-wearing textiles
It usually houses a colony of beneficial insects.